2010/05/26 Council Agenda Packet

Response to Comments CEMEX Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement November 30, 2009 In the example of riverfront land use policy amendments, prior to taking action the City commissioned a study of waterfront uses in the deepwater port area and along the "shallow" 6 mile Federal Navigation Channel running upstream. The Study considered a time horizon extending 20 years into the future. The resulting Study is titled the Everett Waterfront Lands Analysis, authored by BST Associates in November 2000 and updated in 2007. The Waterfront Lands Analysis concluded that (given current and expected market demand), "As a result, there is currently more than adequate supply of industrial (Riverfront) land to meet the need of Everett shallow draft waterfront industrial and commercial businesses." The Southwest Everett Industrial Area is not in shoreline jurisdiction, and has a long standing sensitivity on the part of the City to preserve this area for employment and tax -base growth over time. Over the past nearly 20 years, and before, the City Comprehensive Plan has contained industrial land policies aimed at preserving these lands for various levels of industrial activity. Please refer to the CEMEX Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (DSEIS) on this proposal, and Appendix C of this document, for a listing of those policies. The same area under current review for eliminating the industrial land designation, the CEMEX site, is part of the larger industrial area listed as an industrial manufacturing center in both the Puget Sound Regional Council's regional growth and land use policy plan (Vision 2040), and Snohomish County's County -Wide Planning Policies. It is the only regionally significant industrial area designated in Snohomish County. This makes the area unique and a highly important part of the Puget Sound industrial land supply. For these reasons the City sought a study specific to demand for and supply of industrial lands in the SW Everett area. The result was the 2009 South Everett Industrial Land Analysis was conducted by Property Counselors; see Appendix C of the noted CEMEX DSEIS. Therefore, in addition to standing policies at the local, county and regional level, the City also has recent industrial land studies for both the waterfront and SW Everett industrial area. The findings of the South Everett Industrial Land Analysis is that this specific industrial area is important, if not critical, at the Regional, County and local jurisdictional levels. At this time the standing land use policy and implied assumption on the part of decision makers at all levels, is that this area will remain, and will continue to develop, under industrial land use regulations. The comparison of City riverfront lands to Southwest Everett Industrial lands is not valid, as born out by separate, competent, and recent studies, as well as land use policies found in the current edition of the City Comprehensive plan, countywide planning policies, and regional land use policies. Chapter 3 — Land Use Policy Comments 17